Roll slitting machine with air-supported roll

ABSTRACT

In a slitting machine for cutting elongated rolls of web material into rolls of narrower widths, a mechanism for supporting the roll to be cut including a mandrel having a rotating chuck at one end, the remainder of which mandrel is a stationery hollow mandrel. As the roll is rotated by the chuck, the core of the roll rotates on, and is supported by, the stationery mandrel. Air is delivered to the interior of the stationery mandrel and is forced through air ports along the top of the mandrel; which forms a thin layer of air between the mandrel and the hollow core. The air layer supports the roll, reduces friction, cools the parts and carries away any loose debris.

United States Patent 11 1 Stoffels 1111 3,776,070 Dec.4,1973

ROLL SLI'I'IING MACHINE WITH AIR-SUPPORTED ROLL Carl A. Stoffels, Flemington, NJ.

Judelshon Industries, Inc., Jersey City, NJ.

Filed: Oct. 4, 1972 Appl. No.: 295,293

Inventor:

Assignee:

Reierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1954 Heizer 3/1965 Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant ExaminerWilliam R. Briggs AttorrieyM0rtOn Amster et al.

[57] ABSTRACT In a slitting machine for cutting elongated rolls of web material into rolls of narrower widths, a mechanism for supporting the roll to be cut including a mandrel having a rotating chuck at one end, the remainder of which mandrel is a stationery hollow mandrel. As the roll is rotated by the chuck, the core of the roll rotates on, and is supported by, the stationery mandrel. Air is delivered to the interior of the stationery mandrel and is forced through air ports along the top of the mandrel; which forms a thin layer of air between the mandrel and the hollow core. The air layer supports the roll, reduces friction, cools the parts and carries away any loose debris.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ROLL SLITTING MACHINE WITH AIR-SUPPORTED ROLL There are many instances in the manufacture, distri-=' bution and use of various types of web film material where wide rolls of such material must be cut into narrow rolls. This exists in the woven and knitted textile industry, in the non-woven textile industry and the chemical film industry. The material, when manufactured, is often of quite wide widths and is rolled on hollow cores, usually of paper or other fiber construction. These wide rolls are typically shipped from the manufacturer to a distributor or user of the material. However, in order to be efficiently used, such materialoften must be cut into narrower widths. The machines which most efficiently provide the slitting operations are generally known as roll-slitters and a number of examples of such devices have been heretofore available. They very basically provide a mechanism to mount and rotate a roll of material and they also provide a large blade or knife which penetrates into and slits the rotating roll of material.

Typically, such slitting machines support the weight of the roll of material on a stationery mandrel while the roll is rotated through a chuck which is engaged either with the core or the periphery of the roll. A frictional bearing surface is created between the relatively smooth mandrel and'the internal surface of the core. With light rolls and relatively slow rotational speeds, the frictional forces andbuildup of heat have been to]- erable. However, when larger'rolls of high density material are used and where high speeds are employed, the simple sliding friction arrangements of the prior art are unsatisfactory. In the first instance, the friction forces are simply too high. Secondly, the'temperature' buildups are undesirable. Finally, it has been found that debris is sometimes trapped between the inside surface of the core and the mandrel, and this debris impedes the smooth operations of the machine. The debris may have existed withinthe core when itwas placed upon the mandrel, the debris may be pieces'cut from the core during the operation of the slitting machine or there may be pieces torn from the inside surface of the. ore during the operation of the machine. In any event, it is desirable to provide means to eliminateeach of these problems.

In accordance with'the present invention, there has been provided a machine which eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages and which provides a new and improved measure of efficiency and smooth operation for slitting machines. In accordance with the invention, there is provided in a generally conventional slitting machine, a mandrel mounted on spaced support means which has, at one end, a rotating clutch and which comprises, at the other end, a stationery hollow shaft which has a clearance formed on the side thereof which faces the slitter knife. The stationery hollow shaft and the rotating chuck have a rotating bearing interconnection. A plurality of air ports are formed'along the upper surface of the hollow shaft and air delivery means are engaged with the internal chamber of the shaft to deliver air under pressure. During operation of the machine, air under pressure is forced out of the air ports to form a thin air. film layer between the inside surface of the core of the roll and the upper surface of the mandrel. The air exits from the space between the core and the shaft by moving axially along the shaft down to one end. The moving air cools the shaft and the core and carries any debris out of the area of operations.

The above brief description, as well asfurther objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of one preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l'is a front elevational view of a slitting machine incorporating a device in accordance with the present invention with portions of the roll of material cut away and portions of the machine itself shown in section for sake of clarity. Only those portions of the machine necessary to a full understanding of the invention are shown;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view looking from the left end of the machine as shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the manner of connection between the fixed end of the mandrel and one of the support means;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the'lines 33 of FIG. 2 showing the construction of the non-rotating portions of the mandrel and the means by which a supply of pressurized air is delivered to the mandrel and exitsfrom the mandrel through the air ports;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 showing the interrelationship of the hollow shaft of the mandreland the hollow core of a roll of material rotating about the mandrel; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the hollow shaft of the mandrel showing the placement of they air ports and schematically illustrating the entry and exit of pressurized air from the hollow shaft.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a slitting machine generally designated by the numeral 10 which includes a base 12. A roll of material R ismounted in the slitting machine 10 for rotation as shown by the arrow 14. The roll R is positioned on a roll-supporting mandrel generally designated by the numeral 16, the details of which will be described below. A large circular rotating knife blade 18 is mounted behind the roller R on a carriage generally designated by the numeral 20 and is movable radially toward and away from the roll R. In operation, the carriage 20 is moved to the desired location along the length of the frame 12, the roll of material R is rotated, the knife blade 18 is rotated and the knife blade is then moved inwardly to form a cut such as the'cut C shown in FIG. 1'. FIG. 1 shows the roll R having one cut formed therein with the carriage 20 and the knife blade 18 in position to make a second cut.

The frame 12 has a first upstanding support means 22 at the right hand end of the machine and a second upstanding support means 24 at the other. The frame and support means are tied together by a cross beam 26 which also supports the carriage 20. A lead screw 28-or other transfer means are provided to give the appropriate movement for the carriage 20. A motor and gear unit 30 is mounted on the base 12 and through an appropriate pulley device 32 drives a clutch 34, which is mounted on a bracket 36 extending from the upright support means 22.

The roll-supporting mandrel I6 is a composite assembly which can be removed from the support means 22, 24 and disconnected from the clutch 34. As can be seen, the clutch 34 consists of two parts, a first portion 34a, which remains on the device, and a second portion 34b, which is directly connected to the rest of the mandrel 16. A pair of guiding cones 38 aid in locating the mandrel 16 into an appropriately formed recess in the support means 22 such that proper axial alignment of the mandrel 16 relative to the support 12 is achieved. The mandrel 16 has, adjacent the locating cone means 18, a generally conventional internal air chuck 40 which has the plurality of pressure fingers 42 which press outwardly against the inside surfaces of the core 44 of the roll R. In practice, there is an air chamber within the chuck 40 which is pressurized when a roll R is mounted on the mandrel 16 prior to the mandrel 16 being mounted on the machine. When the chuck 40 is pressurized, the fingers 42 push outwardly and tightly grip the inside surface of the core 44.

Immediately beyond the air chuck 40 on the mandrel 16, there is mounted the stationery hollow shaft 46 which is shown in detail in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The shaft 46 has a smooth cylindrical outer surface except for a clearance flat 47 formed on its rear face (see FIG. 4) to provide clearance 47a space for the knife 18 to cut through the core 44. The interconnection between the stationery hollow shaft 46 and the air clutch 40 is a rotating bearing interconnection and, as may be seen roughly and schematicallyin FIG. 1, the air clutch 40 has a mounting extension 48, which extends into the hollow shaft 46 and appropriate bearing means are provided between the shaft 46 and the extension 48 such that the clutch 40 may rotate while the shaft 46 remains stationery.

At its other end, the shaft 46 is press-fit (and also may be pinned or welded) onto the mandrel end member 50. As can be seen, the end member 50 has an attachment projection 52 which fits within the hollow core of the shaft 46 and the remainder of the end member 50 is of a diameter equal to the outside diameter of the shaft 46. The end member 50 may also be found with a clearance flat corresponding to the clearance flat 47 found on the shaft 46. Mounting and alignment means, generally designated by the numeral 54 are provided at the outside end of the mandrel end member 50 and they will be described below.

In practice, the mandrel 46, including its various components 34b, 38, 40, 46 and 50, is threaded into a hollow core 44 of a roll of material R with the inside edge of the cone 38 flush against the edge of the roll R. The operator inflates the air chamber within the chuck 40 to securely engage the chuck with the roll R. The assembled roll and mandrel is then placed in the machine with the cones 38 aligning one end of the mandrel to the frame 12 at the support means 22. Appropriate bearing means are provided in the support means 22 to allow for rotation of the right-hand end of the mandrel 16. The stationery, left-hand end of the mandrel 16 is supported by the end member 50 of the mandrel being received within the support means 24 at the other end of the machine 10. In a conventional manner, the two halves of the clutch 34 are joined together in order to interconnect the drive mechanism to the roll R.

The support member 24, at the foot end of the machine 10, is formed with a trapezoid-shaped seat 56 which mates with incline faces 58 formed on the mandrel end member as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This interengagement insures that the nonrotating portion of the mandrel 16 is oriented properly about its own axis. As can be seen in FIG. 1, an incline surface 60 is formed on the end of the support member 24 in a generally axial direction to insure that the mandrel 16 is in its proper position when being seated within the trapezoid seat 56. A hold-down clamp 62 with appropriate fastening means 64 rigidly clamps the mandrel 16 within the support means 24.

Air is introduced into the hollow interior of the shaft 46 through the support member 24 and the end member 50. Specifically, an air line 66 is attached by an ap propriate fitting to the support member 24 and passes through a port 68 to the bottom surface of the trapezoid seat 56. An appropriate washer 70 is positioned around the port 68 and is engaged against the bottom of the end member 50 at that point. A radial port 72 in the end member 50 mates with the port 68 of the support member 24 and communicates with an axial port 74 formed along the length of the end member 50. Obviously, the central port 74 feeds directly into the hollow interior of the shaft 46.

A plurality of air ports 76 are formed on the upper surface of the stationery shaft 46 of the mandrel 16. As can be seen by examining the somewhat exaggerated illustration in FIG. 4, the outside diameter of the shaft 46 is somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the core 44. Furthermore, normally the core 44 bears heavily against the upper surface of the shaft 46 at which point the shaft 46 assumes the weight of the roll R. With the introduction of the air into the hollow interior 46a of the shaft 46, and the provision of the air ports 76 along the upper surface, it has been found that a thin layer of air forms between the upper surface of the shaft 46 and the internal surface of the core 44. Of course, direct and interrnittentcontact continues at various points, but in general, a thin insulating air barrier is formed.

Upon commencement of the'operations of the ma chine, the motor and gear unit 30 is started and the roll R rotates rapidly about its own axis with the core 44 ro tating relative to the fixed shaft 46. With a constant supply of air being introduced into the interior 46a of the shaft 46 and constantly escaping through the air ports 76, a thin air barrier is created which accomplishes several results. Because the air prevents frictional engagement directly between the core 44 and the shaft 46, the overall frictional forces are reduced. Furthermore, to the extent that the frictional forces still exist, heat generated by the frictional forces is dissipated due to the cooling efi'ect of the flowing air. Finally, any bits of foreign material or portions of the core 44 which are cut or torn away, are flushed out of the interior portion by means of the flowing air. As will be readily ap preciated, and as is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3, the flowing air initially exits out of the air ports 76 and then moves toward the opened or foot end of the machine, carrying with it any of such foreign materials.

It will be appreciated that the specific concepts disclosed herein can be embodied in a wide variety of variations of the specific devices illustrated in this drawing. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will be able to use the concepts shown herein in a variety of means pattemed but not exactly simulating the specific device shown.

What is claimed is:

1. In a slitting machine for supporting an elongated roll of film material and for rotating it at the same time as a knife cuts the roll into segments narrower than the length of the original roll, a mechanism for supporting and rotating the roll comprising:

a a frame having support means at two separated locations for supporting a mandrel;

b a mandrel mounted between said support means;

c said mandrel having rotating chuck means at one end thereof adapted to engage said roll for rotating said roll about its own axis;

d drive means at said one end connected to said chuck means for delivering rotational power thereto;

e said mandrel including a hollow, non-rotatable shaft adapted to support the weight of a roll of material and having a bearing interconnection with said rotating chuck means;

f said hollow shaft having a plurality of radially extending air ports along its upper surface;

g air delivery means operatively interconnected with said mandrel to deliver air under pressure into the hollow interior of said shaft and outwardly through said air ports;

h air moving through said hollow shaft of said mandrel exiting through said air ports into the space be tween the outside surface of said shaft and the inside surface of a roll of material on said mandrel as said roll rotates thereby to diminish the frictional forces acting thereon, to provide cooling at the interface between the roll and said mandrel and to remove extraneous material from between said roll and said mandrel.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hollow shaft has a clearance flat formed on one side thereof to provide clearance room for a knife to out completely through a roll mounted on said shaft.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said chuck means is an air operated chuck having means to engage the inside surface of a roll of material mounted thereon.

4. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said air delivery means includes a connection between said mandrel and one of said support means for delivering air under pressure from said frame to said mandrel and port means in said mandrel for delivering said air to said air ports.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said air ports are arranged in a pattern along the upper por- 

1. In a slitting machine for supporting an elongated roll of film material and for rotating it at the same time as a knife cuts the roll into segments narrower than the length of the original roll, a mechanism for supporting and rotating the roll comprising: a a frame having support means at two separated locations for supporting a mandrel; b a mandrel mounted between said support means; c said mandrel having rotating chuck means at one end thereof adapted to engage said roll for rotating said roll about its own axis; d drive means at said one end connected to said chuck means for delivering rotational power thereto; e said mandrel including a hollow, non-rotatable shaft adapted to support the weight of a roll of material and having a bearing interconnection witH said rotating chuck means; f said hollow shaft having a plurality of radially extending air ports along its upper surface; g air delivery means operatively interconnected with said mandrel to deliver air under pressure into the hollow interior of said shaft and outwardly through said air ports; h air moving through said hollow shaft of said mandrel exiting through said air ports into the space between the outside surface of said shaft and the inside surface of a roll of material on said mandrel as said roll rotates thereby to diminish the frictional forces acting thereon, to provide cooling at the interface between the roll and said mandrel and to remove extraneous material from between said roll and said mandrel.
 2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hollow shaft has a clearance flat formed on one side thereof to provide clearance room for a knife to cut completely through a roll mounted on said shaft.
 3. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said chuck means is an air operated chuck having means to engage the inside surface of a roll of material mounted thereon.
 4. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said air delivery means includes a connection between said mandrel and one of said support means for delivering air under pressure from said frame to said mandrel and port means in said mandrel for delivering said air to said air ports.
 5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said air ports are arranged in a pattern along the upper portion of that part of the length of said shaft over which a roll of material is supported.
 6. A device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said pattern includes air ports along the top of said shaft and additional air ports at locations adjacent the top of said shaft. 